On November 17th, in Baoding, Hebei Province, an 8-year-old boy captivated the crowd at a village temple fair with a stunning performance of the *wu gu* (martial drum). His expressions were vivid, his movements precise, and his gestures exuded an air of mastery, vividly embodying the spirit of the art. The lively atmosphere enthralled the audience, who applauded and cheered in admiration. According to Xiao Hui, the video’s recorder, it’s rare to see a child so young play the drum with such fluency and perform with such coordinated movements and charisma.

The boy, Gao Haoran, is a second-grade student from Zhangjiazhuang Village in Dingxing County, Baoding City. From a young age, Haoran developed a strong interest in drumming. His father, Gao Qiang, shared that Haoran was first captivated by the *wu gu* performance at the local Deshan Stilt Association’s temple fair when he was just 2 or 3 years old. The image of the *wu gu* performer, with a waist drum slung across their body, moving rhythmically while drumming, left a deep impression on him. Since then, Haoran has been drumming whenever he has the chance. Seeing his passion, his family bought him various drums for practice.

The Deshan Stilt Association is a centuries-old folk tradition in Baoding, known for its demanding roles like *wu gu* (martial drum) and *wu luo* (martial gong), which require exceptional facial expressions and body movements, making them particularly challenging to perform. Haoran’s dedication and passion for drumming allowed him to teach himself the basics, which later caught the attention of Tong Shuquan, the head of the Deshan Stilt Association. Impressed by Haoran’s talent, Tong took him on as an apprentice free of charge, providing him with professional training.

Haoran expressed his confidence in preserving and promoting this folk tradition, aspiring to pass it on to future generations and work towards having it recognised as an intangible cultural heritage.